Stanford forward Chiney Ogwumike passes the ball in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Colorado in the second round of the Pac-12 women's tournament on Friday, March 7, 2014, in Seattle. Stanford won 69-54. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

If Stanford is going to return to the women's Final Four after a year's absence, it will have to do it without being top-seeded in its regional.

It also might have to play Iowa State in the second round on its home court. It was not a joyous St. Patrick's Day for Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer when the selections were announced.

"I am part Irish, but I don't feel lucky," she said.

The Cardinal (29-3) were given a No. 2 seed behind South Carolina (27-4), the first time in five years that they were not a No. 1 seed. The Gamecocks didn't reach the final of their conference tournament, either, losing to Kentucky in the SEC semifinals.

Stanford will open the tournament against 15th-seeded South Dakota on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. If the Cardinal win, they might well play seventh-seeded Iowa State (20-10) on its home court. Another win would put the Cardinal back in Maples Pavilion for their regional, March 30-April 1.

VanDerveer was disappointed less in the seeding than in being placed in Iowa rather than one of the two West Coast sites, Los Angeles and Seattle.

"She said that the NCAA wants to draw fans to the games, but "we just cut out 3,000 of ours."

The seeding snub "will be good for our team," she said. "Her team is healthy - freshman Karlie Samuelson has recovered from a foot injury - and "with everyone playing well, we can beat anyone," VanDerveer said.

This season, the Cardinal lost only to No. 1 Connecticut by 19 points on the road in November, to Washington in Seattle and to USC in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament. It was the first time in the 13-year history of the tournament that Stanford didn't reach the final.

South Dakota, in its second year of Division I eligibility after moving up from Division II, won its first trip to the Big Dance by winning the Summit League tournament.

The Coyotes (19-13) had a 7-7 record in the league and finished fourth. They caught fire in the tournament and beat Denver 82-71 in the championship game. Their leading scorers are Australian Nicole Seekamp (15.3 points per game) and Raeshel Contreras (13.1 ppg), who played at Encinal High-Alameda and Foothill College.